Play the Slate NewsQuiz

With Jeopardy! superchampion Ken Jennings.

Every Friday I’ll be testing your knowledge with 12 challenging questions on the week’s news events, big and small, including happenings in science, sports, politics, and culture both high and low. The questions are multiple-choice, and time is of the essence: You have 30 seconds to answer, and as the seconds tick away, the question’s point value drops from 50 all the way down to zero, so you’ll want to click on your answer as fast as you possibly can. There’s no penalty for an incorrect answer, so feel free to take a guess if your puny human brain fails you.

At the end of the quiz, you’ll be able to compare your score with that of the average contestant, as well as to the score of a Slate staffer whom I’ve talked into taking the quiz on the record. This week’s contestant is Slate columnist Daniel Engber.

Think you can ace my quiz and beat Engber? Good luck!

It was a good week for hockey fans, with NHL players and owners finally approaching an agreement. It was a good week for Russian movie buffs, with Gérard Depardieu and Brigitte Bardot each seeking Russian citizenship. (One for tax reasons, the other to protest elephant euthanasia.) It was a good week for tuna fishermen, with a single bluefin selling for a record $1.7 million. (The species is critically endangered.) Will it be a good week for you on the Slate News Quiz? There's only one way to find out.

Question 1 of 12

The chief architect of the Obama administration's controversial drone strike program was tapped this week to fill what important office?

Question 2 of 12

According to a controversial new Russian law, what is no longer to be classified as a food item in 2013?

The law, which just went into effect, is an attempt to lower alcoholism by restricting the sale and advertising of beer.

Question 3 of 12

"Spread your legs!" joked Joe Biden last week. "You're going to be frisked!" What bemused visitor was the vice president addressing?

Darwin Lange, the husband of new North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, shrugged awkwardly at Biden's clowning during a photo shoot.

Question 4 of 12

Who announced "Americans for Responsible Solutions" on Tuesday, and what is the new nonprofit trying to responsibly solve?

Question 5 of 12

Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el-Erian resigned this week after suggesting that Egyptian Jews return to Egypt from Israel for what reason?